You Found Me
by xKuroSeraphimx
Summary: Weakened, fatigued, and brutally wounded by an assailant she fails to remember, Nel Zelpher wakes to find herself in a place not of her time. Not to mention she finds herself in the care of someone very unlikely…
1. Chapter 1

**Authoress Notes:** I'm not dead. Yet. Too bad, huh? I come back with another SO3 story, and one where I'll _try_ to keep the characters in character. But given the plot, it'll be hard and I'll need some support and constructive criticism. With that aside, please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** SquareEnix is the rightful owner, not me.

**Plot/Summary:** Weakened, fatigued, and brutally wounded by an assailant she fails to remember, Nel Zelpher wakes to find herself in a place not of her time. Not to mention she finds herself in the care of someone _very_ unlikely…

**You Found Me**

**By: xKuroSeraphimx**

**Chapter I**

-----

_I said I wasn't afraid to die…_

_Didn't I?_

The woman, Nel Zelpher of the Crimson Blades, trudged, to more accurately say, _limp_, through the barren plains, droplets of fresh blood trailing behind. Her left eye was closed, swollen because of a hard, direct hit on the face, and cut in a small inch vertically on the lid. Her face was lined with streaks and blotches of blood, her black clothes torn and tattered. Her arm was at a weird angle; hanging motionless at her side while her other hand held a treasured weapon caked in crimson liquid. A vicious swing at her ribs made her lungs constrict painfully when she gasped for air, and pain jabbed at every known and unknown part of her body.

With only the functioning eye, the woman looked over the corner of her eye, checking to see if monsters in the surrounding area would come looking for the scent of fresh meat. She was traveling for who knows how long, in a field that seemed familiar, but with the messed up way her mind worked now, and the insistent pounding that ripped at her head, she wasn't sure to name the place correctly. Not that she could have in her state, anyway. She was unconscious for some time, and woke only recently. Her body had been working hard for the past minutes – or hours – to shut down and rest, slip into the void of unconsciousness.

But stubbornness was a borne trait in her body. Not to mention the thought that if she were to fully close her eyes, let herself fall into darkness, she wouldn't return again. Stubborn and fear, however, could only help her so much, as she vaguely felt the feeling in her legs give out and stumble upon her knees, her dagger embedding itself in the brown dirt.

_I'm not afraid… I'm not afraid… I'm not afraid… I'm not… not…_

Nel couldn't block the touch of fear that sparked in her chest when her mind slowly began to forget the mantra. Dread, accompanied with a burning anguish, rose to her throat, threatening to make her scream out the pain she held within her for years on end. She swallowed it back down as her green eye moved to watch the graying sky, promising the coming of a torrent of rain pour down the area, and she wished, just for a single second, that she could have said goodbye to her friends.

… _I'm…_

Her strength leaving her, the light in her eye vanished like the sun hidden behind a dark cloud. Swaying, she fell forward, feeling all pain, all feeling, all sense of touch and memory swept away under a curtain of darkness.

-----

_A swift kick to her ribs caused the wind to get knocked out of her, propelling her a few feet away with unnatural force until she rolled to absorb the damage of the fall, stopping when her back hit an old birch of a tree trunk. When she tried to glare at her opponent, her eyes fell back to the ground when large amounts of blood spurted out of her mouth. Coughing, she threw a hand up to her mouth to stop the burst of liquid, feeling that one of her ribs must have been severely bruised or fractured. She distinctly felt the motion of her insides turning to soup at the attack._

_Nel forgot when the battle started, only how. While on a mission and passing through Aire Plains, she felt the hostile presence of someone following her and only had a millisecond to defend herself against a sword slashing her shoulder from behind. Her enemy seemed weak at first, sluggish and amateur, until later on, he moved with vicious grace and speed like that of a professional assassin. Obviously, he was toying with her, and she could only catch a glimpse of a smirk under the dark veil of his hood to confirm that. He didn't speak, nor let a laugh of triumph to escape his lips. He didn't want the sound of his voice to be heard, cautious that she might be able to know who he really was._

_Her rest ended quickly when he charged at her, his hard boots digging footprints in the dirt. She only had time to hold her dagger up to block a swing of his broadsword overhead, his strength immense enough to push her arm back and placing the locked weapons dangerously close to her face. He swung a leg back to kick her in the stomach, but she, with a roar of rage, broke the link of their weapons and rolled to the side, causing her opponent to break the trunk of the tree._

_He wasn't human, she deduced earlier. He couldn't be. Even with the other worlds she had come to visit didn't include humans to have such strength. Well, at least not in her home world. Snarling, Nel put her left hand out to cast a runological spell, but suddenly, he was already in front of her and had managed to grasp her arm and, with a sickening crack, break it._

_A scream of pain erupted from her throat before a punch to her face drowned the sound down. Again, she was thrown aside like a measly doll and stopped short only a few distances away. Her mouth tasted large amounts of metallic, coppery blood, the pain in her left arm agonizing and throbbing to the point it became numb seconds later. Her assailant stood ahead of her, almost in a smug manner, and she growled, using her undamaged hand to pull herself up._

I am not going to die **here**… _Nel thought, determination flaring in her forest-colored eyes. _Not when I don't even know **who** my blasted opponent is, and what I'm dying **for**…

_She could think of many possibilities, each unlikelier than the next. She already asked who his identity was, but her only response was a side slash at her face that would have been fatal, had she not taken a step back to avoid it. She shook her head. No, she needed to focus on the task at hand, and that was not to die and have her enemy pay dearly for what he did._

I can't use runology… This guy's all speed. The more powerful spells would take too long… _The woman calculated in her head, watching intently at her opponent who held his sword ready. _He doesn't fight like any ordinary warrior… Just who the hell is **he**?

_The assailant rushed forward to her spot, and she grit her teeth and cursed under her breath, evading a vertical slash at her face. But her body had slowed and was beginning to get tired, and so, ended with a scratch on the lid of her eye, eliciting a yelp of pain from her throat. He pushed his body forward in the follow through, attacking with a swift jab at her stomach to which she used her dagger to deviate away._

_Not wanting to have herself open for an attack, she rammed her shoulder to his chest, savoring the grunt of surprise that rumbled from his lips. Following this was an arc to his stomach, but he pulled back in time to only have her weapon graze the flesh. She was about attack with another swipe until her eyes caught sight of something in his hand._

_Then…_

-----_  
_

Rays of light peeked past the yellow curtains while a light breeze billowed between the sheets, creating yellow waves to blow in the air. It wasn't early, but early enough to have the light reach the occupant sleeping inside a regular-sized bed.

A frown marred her delicate brow as a stray light reached her face. Slowly, an eyelid cracked open, and, not used to having such sunlight hit directly into her pupil, she moved her head to the other side, a low growl of irritation leaving her mouth.

Slowly, she reopened her eye again, but didn't bother turning back. When she tried to move, she moaned out in pain as her body lanced with a dull, aching throb. Little by little, however, she began to realize that she was not _dead_ and that she was in someone's _house_.

And bed.

Trying to muster as much strength as she can, the red-haired young woman moved to sit up, noticing that the demonic rays of light only reached her neck.

Once she sat comfortably on the mattress, she looked down to scan her body. She was clothed in a simple, white robe made of cotton, and her left arm was bandaged and held in a sling. The slight opening of her robe showed little traces of thin bandages wrapped around her upper body. Reaching her right hand up to her head, she felt similar wrappings circling her head and felt a small gauze pad taped to her left eye and cheek.

_Where am I…?_ Nel wondered as she surveyed her surroundings. The room was simple, but still lavishly decorated. An oak-wood desk was situated against the wall under the window, another drawer made of similar wood stood across the bed she sat on, and above it were swords and daggers suspended on the wall as symbols of power.

The sheaths, she noticed, seemed to be well taken care of as the light perfectly gave the sleek black and red-colored metals a luster of their own. One, she noted, had a carving of a gold dragon with chips of ruby as its eyes embedded on the scabbard. Nel arched a brow at the intricate detail, unknowingly becoming fond of the weapon. But nothing could beat her likeness to her father's treasured and precious swords, the Blades of Ryusen.

Wait.

Where were _those_?

A spike of panic touched her spine as she whizzed her head around to search for her missing weapons. None. They weren't anywhere in her line of sight, not even on the nightstand or bedside drawer.

Completely throwing the state of her body out the window, Nel threw the covers aside and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. But before she could move to stand up, a rapping on the wooden door stopped her dead in her tracks.

_Is it the owner? Who could it be?_ Nel asked in her head before the door opened to reveal her visitor. Her emerald eye widened once it laid itself on her guest.

Even though he looked a decade or so younger, Nel could no doubt see traces of Count Woltar in the man standing at the doorway. He stood straight and proud, still exuding an old, but wise and fierce aura around his frame and his slate eyes, when they centered themselves upon her, held a quiet, powerful fire that was all too familiar.

But she could not recall a spell or potion, or some odd ritual that could turn back the wheels of time for others. So how could this Woltar look seemingly younger? His head was showing signs of slight balding, but still retained a mass of short, dark hair that was slicked back and heavily grayed at the temples. Without so much clothing that he would wear later and donned in a simple, but highly effective armor and shirt, he looked more fit than ever. He kept the same, velvet cape around his shoulders. Even with a sword strapped to his waist, he held a cane to help him walk towards her bed, a limp in his long strides.

"Ahh, you're awake," he said, his voice not heavily aged and rough from when she last heard from him. "How very fortunate. I was starting to lose hope for the loss of such a life that I never even got a chance to say 'hello' to."

With a sigh, he pulled a chair away from the desk, dragging it to the side of her bed, and sat down. Woltar stared at her expectantly, and Nel reluctantly lifted her legs back into the bed. He seemed pleased by that.

"Wh-Where…" Her own voice sounded hoarse and scratchy, as though she had not used it for a while. How long had she been asleep?

He held up a hand to silence her. "In my mansion in Kirlsa. I was quite surprised, really, when you were found. And so heavily wounded, my lady! It looked like you'd been fighting hoards of monsters."

Memories of her fight rushed into her mind at the mention of it. She remembered being attacked… Having her arm broken… A flash of light…

… And a face that could only belong to her assailant.

For some reason, she could not distinctly remember it. The image was hazy, vague, like a painting doused with large amounts of water, mixing all the colors into a weird blend. Nel tried as hard as she could to remove that veil of haziness, only to have her head pound painfully, causing her to grab her head with a hiss.

Woltar took to this with alarm. "My lady, where does it hurt? I will fetch—"

"N-No…" Nel said through gritted teeth. Once the headache ebbed, she turned her head to face the old man. "Just… Where… I should thank you for helping me, but… Wait, _how_ did I come across your mansion, Lord Woltar…?"

"That is…"

He was cut off by another knock on the door, and the two turned to see the door slightly open. Nel couldn't see who left the opened ajar since the visitor would not move from the cover the door provided, but Captain of the Storm Brigade did and he smiled.

"I think this is the young lad you should thank, milady."

The door fully swung open and Nel had to blink twice to know if she wasn't hallucinating or not. She wasn't, and for once, she wished she was having a dream as she stared at a familiar mat of black and blond-tipped hair, wine red eyes that blinked underneath a coat of bangs, and an all too familiar face. A violet-red cape shadowed his body, yet the boy looked no more than nine-years old.

_**Albel Nox**?_

-----_  
_

Well, that's the end of this chapter. Criticism? Reviews? They're all welcome to make this story better. So please, click that button over there and review. I'll be working on other fics now, be they **Star Ocean**, **Yu-Gi-Oh!**, or **Xenosaga.** See you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authoress Notes:** Thanks a bunch to the people who have read this and reviewed it. Due to positive feedback (doubt that'll stay until later), this has come up. So please enjoy this second installment.

**Disclaimer:** SquareEnix is the rightful owner, not me.

**Plot/Summary:** Weakened, fatigued, and brutally wounded by an assailant she fails to remember, Nel Zelpher wakes to find herself in a place not of her time. Not to mention she finds herself in the care of someone _very_ unlikely…

**You Found Me**

**By: xKuroSeraphimx**

**Chapter II**

---

_As you see me falling, I wonder, will you catch me? Watch me?_

_Or fall with me…?_

---

Nel Zelpher continued to stare at the miniature Albel Nox and he continued to stare back. Suddenly, the look turned to a frown before he turned to face Count Woltar.

"So what're you going to do with her?" he asked a bit impatiently, sounding slightly angry.

"Now, now," Woltar replied slowly. "The lady has just woken up. Give her some time to recuperate and gain her senses. We cannot rush her into things without first giving an explanation—"

"But she's—"

"Silence, boy," the old man cut in quietly, his tone giving little room for further argument. Albel frowned, pouted, then shifted his glare to Nel before swiftly turning on his heel and storming out, shutting the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Woltar let out a tired sigh, running a wrinkling hand over his scalp. Nel continued to gaze at the door as though she was expecting to see the boy burst in with something else to argue about -- anything that would distract the aged warrior's attention. She turned to Woltar who began talking.

"I'm so sorry about that. That little upstart is a fiery one and it usually takes some doing before he falls back." He said with a small chuckle. "I do hope you'll forgive such a rude beginning with him."

Nel shook her head. If she could handle restraining herself from clashing head-to-head with an adult Albel, then she could have a little more patience with his younger self. Shorter, and less menacing without a claw and an impulse to kill anything that dared to insult him in a way he found detestable and worthy of a gruesome death. "It's nothing," she replied. "I've handled kids like him."

"Have you? Well, Albel's a unique one; maybe he'll show you a different kind from the one you're usually accustomed to."

The old man seemed bent on trying to divert the conversation to something lighter. But the Crimson Blade knew better, and she knew that Woltar was trying to confirm some sort of suspicion by having idle banter with her.

"Lord Woltar," Nel began, setting her functional eye squarely onto his face. "Just how did I happen upon your mansion?" After all, it was awkward how Albel had stormed out when Woltar had told her that she should thank the boy for helping her.

A slight diminish was seen in his expression, but never clearly showed. Woltar cleared his throat and said, "Well, my dear, like I said, Albel Nox is the one you should be thankful for. Although, the opportunity will probably come at another time," He added amusingly. "Anyway, the boy had practically found you half-dead in the middle of the Aire Plains and dragged you here through sheer strength and stubbornness. Also, he may not want to admit it, or myself, for that matter, but he was deeply concerned when he found you bleeding profusely and on the edge of death."

Nel arched a brow at the news. Of course, she was thankful for the way Woltar had eloquently put such information to words, and she briefly wondered if this was the same Albel she had seen slaughter dozens in cold blood. Shaking her head, to which she regretted as a whirl of dizziness hit her, and opened her mouth to speak, "Is that what happened? Then I must truly thank him some other time, when there is not much hostility between us." She paused. "By the way, how long have I been asleep, Lord Woltar?"

"About half a month," Woltar promptly replied as Nel inwardly gasped in surprise. "You were so badly injured in many ways and places, that it was believed you would have died through a week. But you managed to hold on and the doctors had stated you would live and heal normally if you do not overexert yourself." He ended this with a crinkled smile.

_Half a month_! Even if she didn't know how badly wounded she was, Nel would've recovered in less that amount of time in Aquaria. Then again, she was in Airyglyph lands, and if she assumed correctly of which time period she was in, Aquarian doctors were nonexistent.

Or rather banned.

"You've given me much hospitality, Lord Woltar," Nel said formally, and stiffly tried to bend her torso, but her ribs said otherwise. Wincing at the pain that shot through her body, she ground out, "How… could I repay you?"

If there was one thing that grated on the Crimson Blade's nerve, it was the conscious thing of being in debt to someone. She hardly had to be in that position, never mind the times with Fayt Leingod and Cliff Fittir, or Clair Lasbard for added measure. She'd be damned if she let such a good act go to waste, and even if Woltar would refuse, Nel would find some way in repaying the debt. Done. Square.

Thankfully, Woltar did. "Actually, I do. Would you mind answering a bit of my own questions before I make my request?"

Did she have any choice? No. "Of course, sir."

"Good. Then I'll get straight to the point." Soon, Woltar's posture in his seat stiffened and straightened, looking as formal and serious as one would be in the presence of their liege. "Judging from the runes inscribed upon your body, your clothes, and the accent in which your words flow by, you are Aquarian, yes?"

Figured the old man could tell. Nothing could escape such a sharp perception. "… Yes."

"And these," Woltar reached inside the folds of his cape to fish out her prized possessions. "The Blades of Ryusen, belong to you, correct?"

Nel stomped down the urge to snatch her treasured blades back, but restrained herself. After all, Woltar was the one she received the ensorcelled swords before. She nodded, staring intently at the Blades of Ryusen. "Yes, they are."

"Is it? It was very awkward, seeing as I too, have the same Blades in my possession before you were found." Woltar said, the suspicious gleam in his slate eyes burning more fiercely than ever. "And your uncanny resemblance to the one who previously owned these daggers… I was perturbed to think an honorable enemy from the past had come back to haunt me, half-dead. May I ask you for your full name?"

Hesitation had stricken her throat, but Nel swallowed and replied, "I am Nel Nevelle Zelpher, my lord."

Silence followed soon after, making the Crimson Blade feel slightly strange in her position. Being interrogated by Count Woltar made her feel as though if she answered wrongly, she'd be sent to her death, or questioned to determine her fate. Nel was right to think that, beside Vox and his warmonger brutality, Woltar was the one to be feared highly among the three. He was, in fact, very hard to predict and always seemed to be a step or two ahead of everyone else.

Then, the old man said, "I see. Nel Zelpher, correct? This is a fix; I presumed you to be smaller than that." He ended with a small smile.

At this, Nel could find nothing to respond with. How could she explain that she was suddenly transported to the past? Could she explain the end of the war between their countries? Should she talk about the other worlds she had seen and what was to come?

"But, judging by your appearance, you are not the little lady," Woltar stated. "Nor, are you probably, of this time."

"No, I am not," Nel replied quietly, reclining into her pillows a bit more. "I do not know how I had come upon this time and how it happened. I'm as lost as you are in how I came here. But I assure you, I am Nel Zelpher of the Crimson Blade, daughter of Lord Nevelle Zelpher."

For some reason or another, Nel had forgotten the state her body was in, and was speaking as though she was never mortally wounded. But she had stated her status, as much as she'd like to keep a low profile, but Woltar had requested of her to answer his questions, and answer them she will to the best she could.

A smile lighted his features as Woltar too acknowledged her change in formality and the way she spoke of her father. "Thank you very much, Lady Nel. Even from such a short amount of knowing you, I can tell that you are a very emancipated, dignified and strong young woman. You do your father proud."

Nel blushed at the compliment, but waved it off. "T-Thank you, Lord Woltar." She replied lamely, suddenly reduced to feeling bashful at his words.

Noticing this, Woltar let out a hearty laugh. "I say my words with the deepest sincerity, Lady Nel. Now, about what you will do…" Again, he cleared his throat, almost preparing himself for another long bout of talking. "You must have obviously realized the time period you are in."

The Crimson Blade nodded. "Yes. I knew so the moment Albel walked out of the room."

"Ah, yes. Once we had found out that you are Aquarian-born, he's been feeling edgy and confused about what we should do with you. Again, please forgive him for his earlier behavior; a child can act such a way at times like these. In all honesty, I believe he thinks the Aquarians aren't all that bad, but considering the way things are between our countries…"

Nel kept silent, leaving the old man to think out a plausible solution to the problem at hand. She was brought into the past, but she had yet to find out about how she could get back to the present. She dreaded that she probably could never find her way home again!

"So… What do you plan to do with me?" Nel inquired softly, her free hand unconsciously gripping the sheets around her in anticipation.

"I have just the thing, actually," Woltar answered. "With your condition the way it is, it'll probably take a while for you to fully recover. And, let's not forget the other problem: You finding a way back to your original time period. Plus, it'd be very unlike me to leave a lady out, just like that. So, I would like to propose…"

"Yes?"

"I would like of you to look after young Albel." Woltar finished. "With the way things are, there aren't many to watch over him and keep him check. Maids and guards cannot stop him from doing something mischievous. Even I am only in my mansion for a while before I'm called to Airyglyph Castle."

"So you want me… to baby-sit Albel?" Nel questioned, seemingly unsurprised at the prospect.

"Would you? He's a handful, but once you get to know him a bit more, maybe he'll warm up to you as well." Woltar said with a hopeful smile.

Nel didn't know how much she needed to 'know more about him', but if it would help that she'd have a place to stay for a while and recover, why not?

"Very well. I shall uphold this task, you have my word as a Crimson Blade." She replied strictly and formally, bowing her head.

"Splendid! You are doing us a marvelous favor, Lady Nel." Woltar exclaimed.

"Although, I don't know about Albel…"

"Oh, do not worry about the boy. I will speak to him about this. I'm sure I can talk some sense into him of having you around for a while."

They didn't even need to discuss on how long she would stay. Her top priorities would be to keep a low profile, take care of a younger Albel, and find a way to get back. Besides, it wasn't as if she could move around much in her current condition…

Suddenly, a rapping on the door snapped their attention away as the door opened and a fair maid walked in. "Sir Woltar, a summons from the King." She announced quietly, but loud enough to be clear.

"Ah, I see. Very well." The maid bowed and left with a quiet snick of the door closing. Woltar stood up and smiled down upon Nel. "I shall see to it you be made a proper guest in my household, Lady Nel. If you are in need of anything, you have but to ask."

"I will. Thank you very much, Lord Woltar."

He nodded and left, limping off with his velvet cape flowing behind him. As soon as he was gone, Nel relaxed into her fluffy pillow and began to stare with a forlorn expression at the window with its yellow curtains.

What had she gotten herself into?

---

Well, there's the end of that. God, I hoped I kept at least everyone in character! Hope you enjoyed, and keep the reviews, coming!


	3. Chapter 3

**Authoress Notes:** Hm, it has been some time since I updated this fic. I had an idea of where this chapter was going, but I needed more imagery in it, and I didn't trust my writing inspiration then. In any case, I'm sorry for the late update, so here's the third installment to this story.

**Disclaimer:** SquareEnix is the rightful owner. Not I.

**Plot/Summary:** Weakened, fatigued, and brutally wounded by an assailant she fails to remember, Nel Zelpher wakes to find herself in a place not of her time. Not to mention she finds herself in the care of someone _very_ unlikely…

**You Found Me**

**By: xKuroSeraphimx**

**Chapter III**

---

_In this skin..._

_The shadow in my mind…_

---

"… _sure… doing… right….?_"

"… _only way… save… from…_"

"**How could you…?**"

"_How… How long…_"

"**Oh, don't be so upset. I had to do it.**"

"… _won't be…_"

"**I… I _died_. Because I had that phase of insanity to _trust_ you.**"

"_Will-_"

"… **It was necessary.**"

Flash. A lag. The sound of a bad transmission line.

"… _level at fifty-one percent…_"

---

Narrowed, wine red-colored eyes peeked off the side of the wooden door as the boy gazed at the occupant in the bed. She looked to be asleep, her only visible eye closed lightly, and her body reclined rather comfortably into the pillow behind her. But he still couldn't pull off this weird vibe off his back…

It had been several hours since Woltar had left to answer a summoning from the King of Airyglyph. Although, with leaving the information to the boy that the said person in the bed ahead of him was to now become his baby sitter. Before he could protest to such an idea, the aging old man warned him not to argue, saying it was for his own good, and to now behave more properly since his new "babysitter" was still injured.

Albel Nox snorted haughtily at the memory. This woman? His _babysitter_? Of all things Woltar had to saddle him with, it just had to be _her_. Plus, what annoyed him most was the implication that he wasn't good enough of a warrior and man to take care of himself. Sure, he really wasn't of proper age to think himself as so, but the constant training he'd endure over the years under the tutelage of his father and other mentors…

_She's also an Aquarian!_

This thought alone seemed to be less of a damper than the previous one. While he had not met that many, the ones he did seemed just like everyone else around him. A stray question even came out as to _why_ his country was having complications with these people. A little lacking in resources, but was it really their right to try and…

"If you want something, don't just hang around the door," a feminine voice said calmly, jarring his thinking.

His attention snapped to the red-haired woman in the bed, now sitting up straight, a placid, emerald eye watching him intently. Immediately, his annoyance flared at the disruption of his thoughts, his grip on the handle of the door tightening, and he spoke,

"Who said I wanted anything?" He spat with irritation, his eyes narrowing even more into a glare.

_I suppose the safest thing to say is that he 'slightly' grew out of this temperament. Slightly._ Nel mused, not fazed by his apparent rudeness in waking her from her temporary nap. Sparing a quick glance out of the window, yellow curtains lightly swaying in the wind, she deduced the day was fading into late afternoon.

When she looked back, Albel's expression had lightened to mild exasperation, a little twist in the brow and lift in his lip made her wonder if he was back to thinking again. Her senses had alerted to his presence the moment he swung the door open and began to stand there and stare at her for a few minutes straight. Forgetting his earlier outburst, Nel was reminded that she hadn't even thanked the boy for taking her in.

"Albel," Nel called, causing him to blink, then that annoyed look deepened once again, but kept silent as he waited for what she was going to say. "Thank you."

Obviously not expecting that, Albel took a step back, his red eyes wide, "… For what?"

"I was told you were the one who had found me wounded, and carried me back to Kirlsa." She promptly answered, "If not for your help, that would have been the end of me."

A small blush had stained his cheeks before he vehemently shook his head. "W-Well…! That was _before_ I knew what you _are_! If I had checked-"

"Would you still have left me there to die?" Nel cut in, her voice laced with a genuinely curious, but somehow knowing, tone. She watched as the boy became confused with himself, and from her question, muttering little things under his breath for a while.

"I…" he started, but she beat him to it again.

"Let's just say that I owe you and Lord Woltar a great deal of thanks, and leave it at that." She said, shifting her legs so that they wouldn't fall asleep. Even now, her body was becoming restless from staying still.

"And you're planning on repaying that with babysitting me?" It sounded more like he was accusing her of a horrendous crime.

"More or less."

He bristled. "But you're _wounded_."

Nel merely shrugged it off. "I think I've had enough time to rest, don't you? I should at least be capable of keeping up with whatever you might plan to do."

"You make it sound like I'm an irritating _brat_."

_Which you are, even when you're older_, but Nel felt it was safer to just think that to herself. "I don't know. Lord Woltar didn't really give me that much information about you. Care to indulge me?" She asked, a hint of a challenge in her voice.

Albel was silent, taking in her words and analyzing them, it seemed. Then, a grin that she knew would eventually grow into that insufferable, arrogant and condescending smirk the older Albel threw at everyone, plastered itself on his youthful face.

It seemed things were smoothing out for the both of them.

"I don't even know your name, though," Albel pointed out, moving a couple brave steps toward her bed.

"It's Nel Zelpher."

"Nel Zelpher…" he tried, familiarizing himself with the flow of her name. "Nel? That's it? Seems pretty simple and boring. Zelpher sounds better, though. Hmph. Nel Zelpher. What a combination..."

_Looks like some things don't change; he can still piss me off._

---

"Oh? She has awakened…?"

Woltar nodded as he walked inside the fortress-like castle that was the Kingdom of Airyglyph. Walking beside him was none other than the Captain of the Dragon Brigade, Glou Nox, whom he had just met outside the castle walls. He looked much like an adult version of his son, Albel, but instead of a blonde color at the tips of his ebony hair, they were ends of silver. Clad in light armor that was covered mostly by the black, winter cloak he wore around his shoulders, four braids of his hair swathed in white cloth billowed behind him with the ends of his cloak.

Glou and Woltar stopped in their tracks as soon as they got far enough away from the entrance of the castle. Even inside the stone, ice littered walls, it did not lessen the need for more layers of clothing to be put upon one's body for heat. Climbing the stairs, Glou turned his head towards the older man.

"And what is her condition?" he asked, curious about the Aquarian his son had picked up half a month ago.

Despite the use of a cane and a bad leg aching slightly in protest, Woltar still walked just as normally as Glou did, easily keeping up with his strides. "She seems a bit disoriented and confused, but that was to be expected. She'll need a place to stay for now, and I have already taken matters as to offer my home up to that, as her injuries are still rather severe for me just to dump her out in the street; it would be unbecoming of me." He paused and glanced at Glou carefully. "I've also requested that she take care of young Albel during her stay, as payment for our care over her and to Albel recovering her from Aire Hills. I do hope you do not mind of this…"

An amused grunt escaped Glou's lips, a smile stretching across his lips. "I trust you, Woltar. I don't think you would put this upon my son without proper judgment of whom you were placing him with. Never mind her being an Aquarian," He added as they finally reached the top of the stairs.

"Still," he began, "I would like to speak with this woman after this meeting is done. What is her name, by the way?"

"As I have suspected, she is Nel Zelpher," Woltar replied promptly, "Daughter of Nevelle Zelpher."

"But that can't be right," Glou said, his voice laced with suspicion and surprise, "Last I heard of Nel Zelpher, she should be about the age of eight…"

"I will explain this more in detail, Glou," Woltar cut in, his grip on his cane tightening slightly. "For now, we must answer to His Majesty."

---

_A foggy morning._

_It was her choice. Her choice alone where the ceremony would take place…_

_People. There were many people there. Black and veils. Sobs and murmurs._

_Even when everyone was gone, she stood alone, even when her best friend tried to make her move, seeing that everyone was leaving…_

_She stood alone. No tears were marked on her cheeks._

_Until the rain poured down._

---

The door opened just as Nel placed a spoonful of food in her mouth.

Albel had returned, a brown paper bag in his arms. Nel set her spoon down on the compact table that contained plates of food a maid humbly offered on her bed minutes before.

"Oh, you're already eating," Albel stated, a small hint of disappointment in his voice before he walked towards her bed. "The food is…?"

Nel nodded, smiling slightly. "The food is good, of course. I'm almost done with it," She informed him, then tried to peer into the opening of the bag he brought in. "And that is…?"

He shook his head. "You're eating-"

"If it's something small, I'm sure I can fit whatever you brought into my meal."

Albel seemed to disbelieve her words for a moment, taking a quick glance at her nearly finished meal, before he dug a hand into the bag and wordlessly thrust a ruby red apple towards her. Nel blinked for a few seconds before she nodded her thanks and took the fruit gratefully. His perpetually annoyed look seemed to lighten at this.

Deciding that she should hurry up with her food before moving onto the apple, Nel began to finish up the rest on her plate. Beside her bed, Albel plunked down on the floor and started munching on an apple. The two ate in companionable silence, with Nel musing on the fact that he must be feeling really comfortable for the atmosphere to be this… calm. Not that the silence wasn't welcome, far from it, as it gave the Crimson Blade time to work around her current predicament, as in, arriving in a world not of her time.

Her mind worked on what the image of her assailant looked like, but the curtain of haziness surrounding it shrouded the picture in mystery once more. Then there was that flash of light. It was obvious something connected to that light was what transported her to the past. As she was thinking more about the light, the memory also brought a new sensation to her senses, as though she was being torn apart…

_And so the Being said to them, "Come, come, listen to me!"_

_The Group looked on in wonder, asking, "What? What is there to hear from thee?"_

_With a wave and glance toward the crowd…_

_He thus spoke aloud,_

"_Beware of those angels who hide their tracks!"_

Nel blinked. Where was this line of thought coming from? It sounded like an old children's rhymes…

"… _Angels with their wings glued upon their backs…_"

"What are you talking about?"

Emerald-colored eyes blinked rapidly in surprise as her reverie was broken by Albel's question. She looked towards him, finding that he now stood beside her bed, a half-finished apple lying on the brown paper bag on the floor. His expression had reverted to the usually irritated frown she was accustomed to, but there was a curious light dancing within his red eyes.

"What…?"

"You just said, '_angels with their wings glued upon their backs_.' What is that? Some sort of quote from a book?" He asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"Uh…" Nel said lamely, trying to come up with as to how she knew of such verses. She could not recall a time she had heard those rhymes, yet she strangely felt that she knew them for so long… Maybe it was from her childhood? Maybe she had lost the lines until now amongst all the complicated knowledge of runology and standard duty and protocol that was required of a Crimson Blade? Still, she could not produce a suitable memory of learning the lines, just felt the _feeling_ that she just did _know _them.

"I don't… really know," She finished, looking away from Albel to her still un-finished food. "It just came to me. I figure it's some obscure children's rhyme from my childhood…" Nel ended with this with a half-hearted shrug.

Albel gazed at her skeptically before he let out a frustrated sigh, as though he was the adult and _he_ was getting tired of hearing _her_ childish excuses.

"Bah. Maybe you're just being sleepy. One of the servants should come up and take your plate some time soon."

Nel nodded, still feeling uncertain about the odd rhyme lingering in her head. She noticed the apple still on her table, and decided she needed to get her mind off of her weird musings before she grasped the fruit.

"Thank you, Albel," She said, taking a bite out of it. "And you're probably right. I suppose I am a bit tired than I let on…"

Albel snorted condescendingly, then said, "I'm going to check to see if a servant's coming up to see you." And with that, he stooped to pick up the bag and his own apple before dashing out the room.

She watched after him until the door snapped closed. Her mouth formed into a thin line as she stared at her bitten apple. Nel didn't like this foreign… _feeling_ within herself, the sense of not knowing what was truly wrong with her body. Her being bed-ridden for some time didn't add well with it either. Already, her legs were itching to move, but her body thought it would be wise and take some more time to recuperate and regain her bearings. After all, she learned that rushing into things didn't usually bring out the best results in certain situations.

However, one moment she was staring at the apple grasped in her hand, the next, her vision seemed to suddenly flash into lines of black and white, with the sound of… _static_ buzzing in her ears. Like those… _TV screens_ she saw on her venture with Fayt and the others when something went wrong with the screen's 'signal.' The apple dropped from her palm in surprise, allowing her to cover her eyes as though that action alone would prevent another thing like that.

_W-What was…_

"… _fifty-two per… nt…_"

Nel's vision was quickly fading, her consciousness slipping into a black void…

… _Beware of those angels… who hide their tracks…_

---

Well, that's that. I hope you have enjoyed and please review if you did. I am sorry for the delay in updates. I will also post links to some drawings I did of Glou, if people don't mind to see them.


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